Lost Souls
by Tastes-Like-Fry
Summary: Cores have their own personality, it even seems like they have souls. But do the souls even belong in the cores? Of course not! Stealing souls is science! Can Chell return Wheatley to his original body before his core is too damaged for the transfer?
1. Cores for Alarm!

**01_Cores for Alarm!**

...

'You're right, Caroline, he is a moron.' Cave Johnson had his eyebrows raised at the woman in front of him. 'But his idea to reduce human staff and create replacement artificial intelligent robotics... Caroline, sweetheart, we will have more money to do more science! Cold hard calculations.' Cave pounded his fist into his other hand, a gleeful expression on his face.

'Yes, Mr. Johnson,' Caroline chirped cheerfully, 'But how does this relate to the GlaDos project?'

'We'll adjust the GLaDos program, as well as testing, it can manage the robots. It _will_ have the capacity.'

A sharp knock on the door interrupted the conversation and a worker strolled in. 'Pardon for the interruption, Mr. Johnson, we require you attendance for the 'bring your daughter to work' day activities.'

'Fabulous, let's do some testing!' Cave slapped his hands together and stood and flashed a grin at Caroline. 'Where's Chell?'

...

'Mr – Mr. Cave Johnson – sir!' A lanky aperture science worker darted around the little girls and tangles of wires and potatoes, carrying an armful of what looked like scrap metal. He stumbled through the crowd nearly knocking over the small girl that Cave was crouching beside.

'Careful Wheatley, you nearly had Chell over!'

'Er... well, sorry Chell, my mistake!'

'We're doing science!' The young girl exclaimed, holding up her potato so Wheatley could see. 'Energy science!'

'That's my girl.' Cave ruffled her hair before he stood up next to Wheatley.

'What were you after Wheatley?' He asked, startling the man.

'What was I...? Oh yes! Uh, I was wondering, if it weren't too much trouble for me to raise my quote on the price of creating the robotics...' Wheatley stammered to a halt as Cave was increasingly looking less impressed.

'Why does it need to be increased, why not lowered, why not improved upon, Wheatley, I hired you to reduce; reduce costs, reduce error, reduce the amount of employees, cut out the bugs and... Wheatley are you even listening to me?'

Wheatley jerked back to attention, he had been gazing at Chell beneath them, powering a light bulb with a potato.

'Sir, I can do this – cutting costs, cutting employment, more money, more science... Mr. Cave Johnson, sir, you want more science, I-I am going to... I've got this!' Wheatley darted back through the crowd, this time dropping bits of metal and tripping on the wires.

'Moron.' Caroline murmured under her breath, watching with dark eyes. 'I won't let him ruin the GLaDos project and everything Cave has worked for.'

...

'Personality transfer?'

'Right into the sphere.'

'Why is it a sphere?'

'Material costs.' Wheatley picked up an empty shell of the robot. 'I eliminated the need for arms and legs by inventing a management rail which can carry them to any part of this building and connects them to GLaDos.'

Caroline took the casing. 'Not half bad.' She mused, smirking to herself, knowing that rails would cost even more, but liking this idea more and more by the second; it had potential. 'Mr. Johnson would like these, they're very... science-y.'

Shoulders sagging slightly with relief, Wheatly turned and flashed a grin at his partner, Monique sat quietly, unable to speak but she tucked her blonde hair behind her ears and who smiled silently back as she watched their exchange with curious blue eyes.

'What are these called?'

'Aperture Science Personality Control Orb Resource Equipment.'

'Please tell me that you have a shortened name.'

'Uh...' Wheatley quickly went over the words in his head. 'CORE... Personality CORE.'

Unaware Wheatley had been thinking on his feet, Caroline pushed the core back into his hands. 'How do we input a personality?'

'We scan someone with a personality that we want and it is programmed directly into the memory base.'

'Then cut out the mistakes.'

'P-pardon?'

'Carry on, Wheatley.' Caroline chirped brightly and turned heel and walked out the door.

A loud clapping sound drew Wheatley's attention to Monique who signed furiously at him.

'Loose our jobs? Of course not, Mon! They'll keep everyone who is useful!'

...

'It has come to our attention that your services are no longer useful to us. Don't be ashamed, your input you have provided will be valued by us. After you have been dismissed you are welcome to re-apply as an Aperture Science test subject for our newly generated Aperture Science test chambers...'

'This is sacrilege!' Wheatley shouted to the unseen speakers, his voice drowned out by the several hundred other furious discharged workers.

'Please line up in an orderly fashion at the exits.'

Wheatley was still yelling hotly at the speakers and didn't notice the hall was nearly empty until Monique was pulling on his sleeve, signing at him it was time to go.

There were exit doors lining the room and the workers grudgingly walked through the solid black revolving doors one by one. Monique disappeared from Wheatley's sight behind the black door. Feeling the need to be close to his friend, Wheatley quickly stepped into the door and then, aside from the new aperture logo in front of his face, everything went black.

'What?' Wheatley stretched out his hands and they touched solid black walls around him, pressing on the logo, half hoping it would be some sort of unlocking button, 'Hey, what's going on?' Wheatley tried to move but found his feet strapped to the floor. 'Monique! Are you there! Can you hear me? If you can hear me, clap!' He shouted, his own voice echoing around him. 'Okay, Wheatley, don't panic there's no reason for you to pani...'

Suddenly there was lights in the tube Wheatley was trapped in, illuminating the black walls, and revealing his feet encased in metal. And then, with a rushing sound, blue water was gushing into the tube.

'That-that's a good reason to panic – HELP!'

'Stay calm.' A gentle voice told him soothingly. 'You have been chosen as one of the few for the personality CORE replacement program.'

Wheatley stiffened. 'I wrote that program!'

'The liquidated exphosiasion-plasm is for your own protection, as is the provided oxygen. Please find your breathing equipment located above your head.'

Wheatley glanced up to see a breathing mask within reach and quickly shoved it on his face and then nearly gagged as the mask latched itself onto his face and a tube was pushed down his airways.

'Please relax, after you have been scanned you will be returned to your pitiful lives.'

Wheatley gave a start. 'Caroline? Is that you? There's been some sort of mistake.' He tried to say, but because of all the tubes in him it came out as gibberish.

'Relax.' The voice said, soothingly, excitedly. 'It will be over soon.'

Wheatley tried to relax, but the plasm was up to his stomach, and it was cold. His legs had lost all feeling and numbness crept up with the plasm. 'Help?' He tried to call feebly, as the water crept up his neck. Forgetting he had breathing apparatus on, Wheatley took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

'Breathe.' A calm voice talked to him. Startling him so much that Wheatley opened his eyes and almost fainted. The black walls of the tube had gone, now a clear glass, Wheatley could see Monique opposite him in a different tube looking as stressed as he felt.

Monique saw him and reached her hand out to him. But what startled Wheatley was a black cable that was lodged into the back of her neck. Monique looked at him, panicked and then suddenly her eyelids drooped as she relaxed into forced slumber.

Trembling, Wheatley raised his own hand and placed it on the back of his neck. A cable was lodged in his own neck. He couldn't feel it, and yet he was soundly attached. Very suddenly everything went black.

Wheatley screamed as he went from feeling numb to feeling pain, nothing but sharp, brutal pain. After what seemed like a year of torture, Wheatley found himself comfortable, cool and at a complete loss of memory.

It was a strange feeling, and Wheatley frowned at himself trying to work out what was wrong with himself. He blinked, stretched his moving components and quickly ran a virus check.

'Hey.' He said quickly to the core next to him. 'What just happened?'

The core with the purple optic just looked at him blankly before turning and taking off on its management rail.

'Well fine! Be like that! Snob! I swear some personality cores...'

Suddenly a voice that wasn't his own echoed inside his own head that made him shudder. 'Report to core refinement facility.'

'Alright!' He said, hurriedly, scooting off on his management rail, unknowingly to him, in completely the wrong direction.

...

**AN: **Had this idea in my head for a while, and so many people have Wheatley in human form I thought I'd join the club. Woop de do. But hey, it's not all about Wheatley, stick around for some post-portal 2 Chell-ness.

Portal and its characters belong to Steam, not me :(


	2. Curious Conspiracy

**02_Curious Conspiracy**

...

Chell stared at the endless fields rolling out before her, the harsh, blinding sun beating down on her. Grounding her feet on the hard dirt, she lifted the battered companion cube and walked. It was strange not having long fall boots and Chell caught herself habitually walking on her toes.

She made her way slowly, trying to find somewhere, anywhere where she would be able to get on with a normal life. She would have to learn what was normal first, all she can remember is trying to survive – was that normal?

Chell ploughed on regardless, focusing on her feet and just walking to put as much distance between her and _that place_.

It was a few hours until Chell stopped in surprise; the ground surface had changed. Instead of dirt there was hot asphalt. She looked up and down the road; a sign of civilization. Picking the way that led further from the lab, she walked in the dirt at the side of the road so she wouldn't scorch her feet.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before a vehicle came up from behind; a red pickup truck carrying scraps of metal in its tray. Not sure of how to gain their attention, Chell stood a little back from the road and looked expectantly at the car.

The car slowed and then pulled alongside her.

Feeling slightly apprehensive, Chell nervously watched as the window rolled down and a woman leant out of the window, her blonde hair curling around the sunglasses reflecting the dirty and bruised Chell.

'You alright, luv? Bit hot for a walk.'

Chell bit her lip, wishing for her voice back. She pointed to herself and then the car.

'You want a ride? Where to?'

Chell stood dumbly and shrugged.

The lady, however was staring at the companion cube. 'Is that...? Aper...? You're from... oh my goodness, what have they done to you?' She quickly climbed out of the car. 'Quick, I'll take you to the Western Recovery Centre, put that in the back and get in.'

Unwillingly, Chell placed the cube in the back tray between the metal before awkwardly getting into the passenger seat.

'You can't speak?' The lady asked.

Chell shook her head.

'Well in any case my name is Monique. I used to be mute, but a suspended time in liquidated exphosiasion-plasm and then a very long time after speech therapy, I can assure you that in no time you'll have no trouble talking at all, but of course, one step at a time.'

A long pause fell between them before Monique spoke up again. 'You'll have to excuse me if I fall into lapses of silence. I used to have such a talkative companion, but now... I don't know where he is. Oh, here we are, welcome to Proton West.'

After driving through what seemed like miles and miles of fields, they arraived at was a little town. The buildings hardly represented houses, more like square prison blocks, although people were walking the streets, shopping in hand as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Chell began to feel her heart race as the people stared at the truck curiously as it went passed and slunk further down in her chair to avoid their probing stares. Thankfully Monique drove straight up to what was the 'Western Recovery Centre'.

Climbing out she encouraged Chell to follow. 'Yes, bring your cube.' She said warmly, 'We'll help you clean that up if you like...?'

But Chell wasn't listening, her attention was diverted to a man that had emerged from the building and was striding towards them.

'Mon!' he called, not noticing Chell whose knuckles had turned white as she gripped the cube. 'Did you find any more cores...?' He trailed off as he looked at Chell curiously and his eyes fell to the cube. 'That's not a core...' he reached for it.

Chell promptly backed into the truck.

'Travis. This is a companion cube. And this is... uh, well we can find her name on the database, can't we?'

'Which database?'

'Aperture test subjects.'

Travis became suddenly very interested in Chell, staring at her with wide eyes. 'Are you sure she's a test subject?'

'She's got the suit, aperture equipment, what's to say she's not a test subject?'

'She's alive.'

...

Chell followed Mon inside and they showed her to a room and presented her with new clothes and explained how the building worked and where she was allowed to go.

Chell barely paid attention, for the moment they had stepped inside Monique had removed her sunglasses and her eyes were strange, yet familiar shade of purple. Chell searched this persons eyes, trying to work out whether purple was a normal colour for eyes or not.

Travis seemed amused by Chell's staring as her eyes sometimes flicked to his, checking to see his eyes; a plain brown and offered her a tour.

...

Chell's room was open, as was the door, she was free to wander and yet Chell stayed in her room. The shower was wonderful, she would stand under it for hours. The rushing of hot water cleansed her, washed all the chemicals and even just the thought of that place. But she preferred the feeling of cold, clean water on her skin made her senses sharper, her thoughts clearer.

Monique brought her new information each day and it gave her things to think about. Her name was Chell. That was absolutely confirmed now for which she was glad. She didn't like relying on an inkling she had picked up from the clues she had found at Aperture.

She wished she could say it. She practised the lip movement in the mirror, when she could bear to look at herself in the mirror. She was pale, the dark circles framed her unsettled eyes. She wasn't fat, like _she_ had previously claimed, just curvy. Of course the clean clothes she had been given were a lot more flattering than the jumpsuit. Still there were some days where she couldn't look at herself, opting instead to go for a walk and watch others around the facility.

Chell liked her room and liked investigating things she hadn't seen or remembered from before. She liked the flowers; pretty, but unnecessary. She liked the books they had laid out for her, although she never spent too long reading them as her mind was coming up with more unanswered questions.

For the moment Chell sat cross-legged on her newly cleaned companion cube and looked around the room for a distraction from the swell of questions in her mind. The bed was comfortable enough, the covers with a floral design which matched the curtains and the towels. In fact, there seemed to be a flower theme to the whole area, cream-coloured flowers on a relaxing green colour.

Chell realised with a jolt, that it was deliberate, that there was a healing feeling in this room alone. Soft colours, not the sharp white clinical that was Aperture. Perhaps the only thing in this room that reminded her of that place was the companion cube that she had brought in with her. Her fingers traced the heart of the cube on which she sat. A reminder of the memories of the _place_. But, not all the memories were bad.

Chell closed her eyes and leant against the wall. Her hand absentmindedly caressed her only true friend, (the only one that hadn't threatened to stab her) and ran through her good memories. The adrenaline rush while being flung through the air, the relief and triumph when a test was over. Breaking GlaDos had been good, stress relieving even. Of course, having gone from that to waking up once again in a controlled housing entrapment, it had felt so good when the door had opened and Whea...

Chell sat up sharply, gritting her teeth, torn between anger and a great sadness. She felt frustrated with herself for so easily letting _him_ into her thoughts. Chell, frustrated at the voice in her head echoing 'I am not a moron!' and even more of feeling her heart ache, walked out of her room and down the corridor to a common room.

Normally Chell avoided human contact, but she needed distraction and even a cold shower wouldn't have rid the thoughts of _him_. The common room had several or so people, all recovering from different types of accidents and incidents. Chell helped herself to a glass of water, sat back and watched.

Half of the people there knew that this was what she did and maybe gave her a brief smile before turning back to their own discussions.

A new patient, an intelligent looking youth with bright, almost orange eyes, briefly hesitated before making her way over and sat with Chell. 'Hi.' She said shortly, studying her. 'What's your name?'

Chell looked back at her, she seemed harmless enough, but her voice seemed to be slightly stressed, if not overly cheerful and for some reason reminded her of GLaDOS.

Trying not to shudder, Chell managed a half smile back before signing her name, something Monique had taught her.

'Oh, can't you speak?'

Chell pursed her lips and shook her head, wondering if she would be deterred. Apparently not.

'At least you know your name,' the youth frowned slightly before weakly laughing. 'Though they call me Kizzy. Kizzy – Quiz-y.' Kizzy laughed weakly again, 'Apparently I ask too many questions. You don't mind? I like finding out about everyone here.'

Chell shook her head, she liked finding out things to, but by listening. Perhaps Kizzy could be a valuable companion and provide her with information.

Kizzy looked almost nervous before blurting. 'Did you come from an android?'

Chell looked at Kizzy, confused.

'No?' Kizzy's shoulders sagged, 'Oh, well you must have come from somewhere. Everyone comes from somewhere, or so I'm told. I wonder where GLaDOS... oh never mind.'

Chell suddenly felt like she had been doused in cold water and looked at Kizzy in alarm.

'Sorry, am I ambushing you with too many questions?'

There was another question. Chell was torn between nodding and shaking her head; _how did Kizzy know of GLaDOS? What did she mean by _coming_ from an android?_

Kizzy read the jerky head movement as a yes. 'Sorry.' She apologised with a sigh. 'Ever since... well I don't like to talk about it, but it's a side effect when your personality traits have been tampered with. But I suppose I've always been a little curious.'

Chell looked at her new friend in alarm. That voice... Curiosity core. But _HOW?_ She needed Monique, she'd know.

'Where are we going? Where are you taking me? Hey, lady...!'

Chell barely noticed the questions and running like she had GLaDOS on her tail she dragged Kizzy to her room, gathered the cube and then ran the full length of the room.

'Is that a companion cube? Hey, you're the lady from the test! I haven't seen you in an age! Did you beat GLaDOS?'

The word GLaDOS echoed around the room they had stopped in; Monique's office. The name startled Monique who stood as Chell dropped the companion cube in the middle of the floor before pushing Kizzy further into the room.

'Explain.' She signed and pointed to Kizzy who had bent to inspect the cube.

'It _is_ a companion cube!' She said delightfully. 'Wherever did you find it?'

Monique ignored her instead answering Chell's question 'Kizzy's personality was imprinted into what was known as the Curiosity Core...' She trailed off and stared at Kizzy who was flat out staring at Chell.

'It was _you!_ You're the one who put me in the incinerator! Put _us_ in the incinerator!'

Chell stared wide eyed at Kizzy before she turned to look at Monique whose expression suddenly took on the emotion of recognition, before narrowing in hurt. Monique's purple eyes... Purple optic, quiet, caring, Morality core.

Confused and feeling somewhat threatened under such an intensive stare, Chell did the only thing she knew how to do; grabbing the cube, she ran.

Not quite sure of where she was going, but just with a sense of needing to escape, Chell ran through the corridors. They would expect her to head for the front exit, so she ran further into the building, diving into the elevator at the end and she jabbed blindly at the button, perhaps she could escape from the roof.

The doors closed and then with a feeling of a sinking stomach, the light dimmed and the elevator dropped.

Chell only had the cube. She didn't have long fall boots, she didn't even have a portal gun. This survival was not as she knew it and she dreaded the opening of the lift. She had to remind herself, this was not a test at Aperture, she was a long way away from Aperture, wasn't she?

Chell was jerked out of her thoughts as the elevator's doors opened to reveal a dark warehouse, lit by hundreds and hundreds of tubes. Feeling uncertain, Chell edged out of the elevator looking around the weary room. Instantly she could pick several points for a portal – but without the gun she was grounded.

Curiously Chell approached one of the lights, senses on alert: those were no lights. The tubes held people (who looked rather dead), suspended in liquid by a cable attached to their necks, and the emblem on the front of each container had the Aperture Science logo.

Suddenly a voice broke through the silence, coming from nowhere and yet everywhere, causing Chell to freeze in horror.

'You have been chosen as part of the CORE replacement program.' GLaDOS' smooth voice cut through Chell like ice, 'You are now being scanned. Please relax, and breathe, it will be over shortly.'

Chell turned for the elevator to get out of there, but it had gone.

...

**AN: **Special shout out to msfcatlover! Thank you for your encouragement! This update is for you!

Speaking of updating, I'm not that familiar with the Half Life Universe beyond Portal, so what you get is what is in my brains x] omnom

Portal and its characters belong to Steam, not me :(


	3. Haunting Voices

**Haunting Voices**

'Chell?' Monique's voice echoed around the warehouse as she stepped out of the elevator and scanned the room before her apprehensively. 'Chell I know you're here, you left your companion cube here.'

Monique gave the cube an affectionate pat before sitting on it and looked out depressively over the bodies in the tubes. 'Kizzy is sorry she accused you – we understand you were going everything you could to destroy GLaDOS. We don't understand what it was like for you, we were blissfully unaware. We want to help you.' Monique sat, listening. She could hear Chell breathing; she wasn't far away, but she could tell she still wasn't trusted.

'I was hoping to show this room to you.' Monique said, looking at the tube in front of her. 'Everyone in a tube here was an aperture employee, until GLaDOS was introduced. They made cores to do her bidding and even some, like me, to try and gain some control over her...'

'You have been chosen as part of the CORE replacement program. You are now being scanned. Please relax, and breathe, it will be over shortly.' GLaDOS' smooth voice echoed about the room.

Monique shuddered slightly. 'We can't turn that message off, I'm sorry. It's programmed into the tubes. Don't be fooled, this is not a part of Aperture. Travis' father discovered these in the Aperture scrap bin and started the campaign where we return the personalities back to the people they belong to.'

Monique smiled where Chell had peeked out at her from the pile of scrap metal that had been built up against the wall, still not quite trusting.

'I go to the Aperture junk heap every day, GLaDOS has things thrown out that come out to the surface, sometimes cores that are broken or defective or she just doesn't want them anymore. I search there to try and bring back someone to their body from which they were stripped.' Monique stood to welcome Chell as she emerged from her hiding place.

Chell put her hand out and touched the label on the bottom of one of the tubes. _Catering Core_

'The original design meant only to scan and copy their personalities. Whoever tampered with our design matched up the personality to the core, alright, but then ripped their soul right out of their body, just their soul, not our memories, and then we were 'purified' and then set to work.'

Chell shot Monique a questioning look.

Monique sighed and her eyes fluttered shut, 'It was such a _dumb_ idea, I knew it was,' Monique started walking between the aisles, gesturing for Chell to follow.

Reluctantly Chell walked through what felt like a graveyard.

'We didn't realise we had been humans. And the purification centre was run by humans that didn't know what had just happened. Unfortunately for them, I could only stop GlaDos from emitting neuron toxins, she found other ways to kill the others.

But the sad thing is I knew we were going to lose our jobs, worker morals and each other before it happened. My co-worker was so absorbed with pleasing Caroline, he fell right into the trap.' Monique sighed and slowly came to a halt, unwilling lifting her eyes to observe the suspended body in the tube before her.

Chell, had stopped a few feet back as memories of Cave Johnson and Caroline's voices had spoken to her through a recording. Repulsion gel, pro-pulsion gel, portal here, portal there – test complete!

'... Wheatley...'

Chell was drawn back out of a hallucination she didn't even realise she was having and immediately hid. If mentioning 'Cave' had her heart beating fast, mentioning 'Wheatley' had a death metal drummer in her chest.

Survival senses alert, Chell peered around the corner – where was the core?

Chells eyes landed on an empty tube, the fluid was gone, the door open, the round input plug at the front had a battered and burnt looking core attached to it; the morality core. Monique's tube.

Sneaking her peek further around the corner, Monique had sunk to the floor on her knees before another tube. The tube held a man, who barely fit in the tube he was so tall and lanky, his aperture uniform saturated in the blue liquid that held him, suspended in time, soulless.

Chell found herself standing behind Monique, watching as she traced the label.

'He did so much, put in so much effort and yet they laughed at him and that _bitch_ had to add injury to insult.'

Chell ran her eyes over the label before swallowing nervously and glancing up into the foreign face.

_Intelligence Dampening Sphere_

Wheatley.

…..

Monique frowned at Chell who was sat on the companion, cross legged, in front of Wheatley's tube, studying his every feature, only jumping slightly when GlaDos' message echoed about the hall.

'Did you meet him?' Monique asked her.

Chell didn't respond, just let her eyes rake over him, his auburn hair, pale features, such a long and lanky body. She studied him, soaking in every feature, her mind going a thousand miles an hour.

'It's probably not a good thing to...'

But Chell was suddenly standing, looking wildly about her and suddenly ran down an aisle.

'Wait, where are you going?' Monique made to follow her, trying to make sense of the strange behaviour Chell was displaying. Everyone else who had been a part of Aperture in some shape or form tended to shy away from this place due to GLaDOS' voice haunting this room.

She stopped, realising that Chell was systematically looking at every label on the tubes.

'What are you looking for? It might be quicker if you just tell me.'

Chell stopped in front of a tube and looked up, surprised. There were two people in the tube, and it was unmistakable that they were father and son, the child, who couldn't be much older than 12 was being piggy-backed by his father. The father's feet were locked to the floor like all former employees, but the breathing apparatus and the cable were attached to the boy.

'Trying to save his boy.' Monique said to Chell's unasked question. 'Although the tubes aren't designed for multiple people, Travis has worked out that the boy is alive. The question that remains is will he survive the transfer, that is if we ever find him...' Monique fell into silence as Chell turned and faced her with wide eyes, pointing to the ceiling.

Monique just looked at her, confused.

Frustrated, Chell pointed to the child, then to the label, then she blocked the word 'core' out and pointed to the rest of the label.

'Space? Space core is in... space?'

Chell grabbed Monique and practically dragged her back to Wheatley. Pointing to him and then back in the direction where she had found space core.

'Wheatley is with Space core _IN SPACE?_'

Chell nodded furiously.

'They could be anywhere!'

Chell shook her head.

'You know where they are?'

Chell, using her newly learnt sign language spelt out 'M. O. O. N'

It was Monique's turn to grab Chell and drag her the length of the hall, back to the elevator.

...

Monique was ecstatic, telling Travis everything Chell had told her. Travis was excited too, the prospect of saving the child

Chell was excited as well, but there was an anxiety growing in her stomach. Just hearing the name 'Wheatley' made her break out into a cold sweat. He had lost control, tried to kill her after being someone she could trust, she wasn't sure if bringing him back was going to be the start of a new friendship or the biggest mistake of her life.

Traction beams were in place, permission granted to retract what they had called 'scrap metal' to avoid complications they would have received if the government got word that Aperture property was floating around in space.

Despite the offer, Chell didn't want to be at the location where they retrieved the cores. Instead she had stayed back, had several cold showers, sat for an hour in the common room with a cup of tea she couldn't drink, sat at the table with Kizzy just poking at her food as Kizzy asked several questions which Chell couldn't answer.

Chell was lying on her bed looking at the ceiling, trying to will herself to sleep, trying not to care, when there was a delighted cheering from somewhere outside.

Forgetting all about not caring, Chell practically leapt out of bed and ran to the entrance.

Not even realising this would be the first time she's ventured outside the recovery centre Chell threw herself at the doors.

It wasn't until they burst open did Chell stop. A crowd had gathered, cheering as Travis held the astonished Space Core above his head like a trophy, its optic wildly glancing about taking in all the people.

'Hello! I've been to Space!' Space Core shrieked excitedly. 'Did you know the best thing about Space is Space?' Space Core seemed to chirp, but then stopped, its optic fixed on something Chell couldn't. 'Space buddy didn't like space.' He said, somewhat mournfully. 'Space isn't good for Space buddy.'

Travis, who had made his way over to Chell, grinned at her and held Space Core out to her. 'We got him.'

Space Core's optic lit up as it saw Chell. 'Test lady!' It chirped, 'Space buddy, it's test lady – you can stop being sad now – space buddy?' Travis turned to look at Monique who was right behind him holding...

Chell automatically reversed into the wall, but her fear died as quickly as it rose.

Monique cradled the core as it twitched and shuddered, setting off sparks, it's optic flickering, dancing everywhere but not seeing anything. The pitiful voice stuttered as it wailed 'Sorry- so-so-sor- sorry...'

'He very damaged.' Monique murmered, her eyes knotted as she watched Chell, still backed into the wall, expression torn between guilt and horror. 'You didn't have anything to do with this did you?' Monique did not mean for the statement to come out with such a sharp edge, but Chell turned her face away, confirming Monique's thoughts.

'What did he do to you?' Monique was suddenly ashamed of her accusatory and the harshness of her tone. Even more when Chell looked up, her eyes so dark and haunted that Monique felt it chill right through her.

'Sorry.' It came out in more of a whisper, Monique not able to look at her, nor the twitching Wheatley in her arms. Chell turned and ran back into the building, most likely headed for the shower as she often did.

Confusion flooding through Monique; Wheatley wouldn't hurt a flea, wouldn't he?

…..

Chell didn't come out of her room. She didn't acknowledge Monique, even when she came in to tell Chell that Wheatley needed replacement parts before he could transfer back to his original form. Feeling disheartened at her lack of response, Monique mumbled something about Space Core's transfer starting shortly.

Without change of expression or glance at her, Chell got up and locked herself in the bathroom.

Monique stood there dumbly for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Something horrible happened between her former co-worker and this troubled woman, something she didn't understand. Feeling somewhat at a loss and for some reason upset, Monique ran for Travis to curl up in his arms; the only place where she didn't feel so lonely, where she could pretend that nothing happened at all. Despite prodding questions, Monique remained silent, clinging to the only person she could trust.

Chell had no one to cling to. Her only companion was a box with a pink heart on it. True, it never did threaten to stab her, but never had it said it loved her, either. Cold water crashed over Chell's head like thunder and soaked her to the bone. Her clothes clung to her frame, muscled from her routine excercise – _Why are you wearing clothes in the shower, luv?_ A familiar voice echoed in her head – the very same voice that had been haunting her, more than the other voices in her head. She thought it many voices, but none that she could call her own, for she did not know the sound of her own voice.

_Are they some sort of shower clothes? Gaw, they should totally do that. "Shower Clothes – Save yourself from changing, wash your clothes with yourself" A practical, sound idea, innit?_

…_What chu laughing at, luv? _

Chell shook her head and sighed, the smile that had momentarily graced her features slid off her face.

_Come – Come from a human? Little ole me? That new friend of yours is balmy, putting my personality into a human. You know what you should do – no listen to me!_

Chell had tried to turn away from the voice, knowing what it wanted her to do before it asked – and had promptly bumped into the wall of the shower.

_You should go down there and save me – a little favour, please? I am sorry, you didn't believe me, but I am sorry, luv. You heard me – and we're exactly the same... ok, so maybe I'm just a voice in your head – but you _need_ me._

…..

_Wwwhat are you doing? Stop that!_

Chell hesitated and blinked in surprise, her hand rested on the elevator button – that 'thought-voice' was new. She had suppressed _her _voice for so long, that it startled her into listening. But the voice fell silent, Chell wondered what triggered GLaDOS' voice to suddenly come to life when, suddenly, Chell felt cold. She was still wet.

A slow clapping processor sound echoed in her head, mocking her. Chell fought the urge to bang her own head on the wall.

'Chell?'

Startled Chell turned heel, eyes wide, trying to not be accused of breaking into the lab.

Kizzy was cradling Space Core who, for some strange reason, was emitting a mechanical purring sound.

'Are you alright? Why are you wet? Are you coming to help put Buddy right again...?'

'I'm going to be an astronaut because space.'

Chell jumped when Kizzy giggled. Her brows went up as Space Core's optic sprung up to look at Kizzy and the purring started up again.

'What's so special about space?' Kizzy practically cooed at the core.

'Space...' Space core said lazily, affectionately, although his affection seemed to be more directed at Kizzy.

_Ugh,great, I thought the cores were bad when they were attached to me. It was a rule at Aperture, you know, Cores weren't allowed contact with each other to prevent this sort of thing happening. No emotion, just science, the moronic things should keep to themselves – uh what are you doing? That has got to be the dumbest thing... whoa... whoa... kshhh_

Chell ceased thumping her head against the wall the moment GLaDOS stopped talking to her. Unfortunately, for her, it was also the same moment that she passed out.

…..

**AN: **So finally churned the next one out, and I'm sorry to say there will be long times before I update as I'm going to be moving in the next week and starting some pretty full-on study. But never fear, because there is always time for Fanfic writing during procrastination time xP

Thanks to those who reviewed! And I shall try and not 'rush' it ;)

Portal (and steam) belong to VALVe :D and therefore not me.


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